My little Wednesday rant!

If you've ever wondered why so many small scrapbooking/arts and crafts shops go out of business ... here's a clue. I just paid off the balance on my US Visa card which I use for the majority of my inventory purchases. Nearly all the merchandise I carry comes from the states so there's no way to get around this. My balance was $727.41 which translated to $929.92 CDN. Freight costs are constantly increasing not to mention duty fees. By the time we add debit/credit card fees and the jacked up fees for business banking, phone and internet, it's a pretty slim profit margin... and that's without having to pay rent, which I did for four years and most small businesses have to do. So when you look at the US price on something and compare it to the same item in a Canadian store, please keep in mind the extra costs involved for small business owners here. If you value good customer service and want to continue being able to "shop local", please consider the "actual" cost of on-line and cross border shopping. You may save a few bucks up front (don't forget to add up the exchange, gas and tolls) but ask yourself is it really worth it?